Michigan, 1952
• 1952 First Team Academic All-America®
Dr. Richard "Dick" Balzhiser was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 2002.
Richard Balzhiser holds the distinction of being the University of Michigan’s first Academic All-American on the first-ever Academic All-America Team.
Balzhiser bleeds Maize and Blue through and through. He earned his undergraduate degree, master’s degree and doctorate from Michigan, and then became a faculty member.
Balzhiser earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Michigan in 1955. He was the starting fullback for the Wolverines during his undergraduate years and a two-time Academic All-American. In the spring semester of 1953, Balzhiser was one of only 17 engineering students at the entire university who received straight A’s.
After his graduation in 1955, Balzhiser stayed at Michigan to pursue his master’s degree in nuclear engineering and then received his doctorate in chemical engineering in 1961. The loyal Wolverine then stayed in Ann Arbor as a faculty member and chair of the chemical engineering department.
Balzhiser left Michigan in 1971 when he was appointed to the White House Fellows program. He served as the assistant director in the White House Office of Science and Technology from 1971 to 1973. One of the most respected engineering minds in the country, Balzhiser joined the Electrical Power Research Institute in 1973 and was elected president of the organization in 1988. He remained actively involved at his alma mater, serving on the University of Michigan’s National Advisory Committee from 1985 until 1992.
Balzhiser was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2002, on the 50th anniversary of the first Academic All-America Team, of which he was a part. In 2005, he received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from the University of Michigan for his contributions to the College of Engineering.
Balzhiser of Menlo Park, CA passed away peacefully in Granite Bay, CA on December 23, 2013 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.